Construction vehicle nay have a manual mode and an automatic mode. In the manual mode, the location of a blade tip may be controlled by user inputs. In an automatic mode, a controller moves the location of the blade tip to a predetermined location. If the controller moves the blade tip too fast, it may overrun the desired location or cause movement that is not smooth.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a construction vehicle is provided that moves materials. The construction vehicle includes a chassis; a plurality of traction devices operably coupled to the chassis to propel the chassis; a blade supported by the chassis and configured to interact with materials to be moved by the vehicle; and a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders positioned to move the blade between a plurality of positions; a source of pressurized fluid providing pressurized hydraulic fluid; a plurality of user inputs positioned to receive inputs from an operator of the construction vehicle; and a control system having a manual mode and an automatic mode, a controller, and memory storing a predetermined location of the blade. When in the manual mode, pressurized fluid from the source of pressurized fluid is available to a first hydraulic cylinder of the plurality of hydraulic cylinders at a first maximum pressure and the flow of fluid to the first hydraulic cylinder in controlled through operator input to a first input of the plurality of user inputs. When in the automatic mode, pressurized fluid from the source of pressurized fluid is available to the first hydraulic cylinder at a second maximum pressure that is less than the first maximum pressure and the flow of fluid to the first hydraulic cylinder is controlled by the controller using the predetermined location stored in the memory.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a construction vehicle is provided including a chassis; a plurality of traction devices operably coupled to the chassis to propel the chassis; a blade supported by the chassis and configured to interact with materials to be moved by the vehicle; and a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders positioned to move the blade between a plurality of positions; a source of pressurized fluid providing pressurized hydraulic fluid; a plurality of user inputs positioned to receive inputs from an operator of the construction vehicle; and a control system having a manual mode and an automatic mode, a controller, and memory storing a predetermined location of the blade. When in the automatic mode, the controller controls the flow of fluid to a first hydraulic cylinder of the plurality of hydraulic cylinders to position the blade in the predetermined location and the controller scales down a maximum available pressure from the source of pressurized fluid to the first hydraulic cylinder of the plurality of hydraulic cylinders when compared to a maximum available pressure when in the manual mode.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of moving material is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a construction vehicle including a chassis, a plurality of traction devices operably coupled to the chassis to propel the chassis, a blade supported by the chassis and configured to interact with materials to be moved by the vehicle, and a hydraulic system. The hydraulic system includes a plurality of hydraulic cylinders positioned to move the blade between a plurality of positions; a source of pressurized fluid providing pressurized hydraulic fluid; a plurality of user inputs positioned to receive inputs from an operator of the construction vehicle; and a control system having a manual mode and an automatic mode, a controller, and memory. The method further includes the steps of storing a predetermined location of the blade into the memory; moving the blade to a location in response to manual user input to a first input of the plurality of user inputs; switching the control system from the manual mode to the automatic mode; scaling down the supply of pressurized fluid available to a first hydraulic cylinder of the at least one of the plurality of hydraulic cylinders in response to switching step; moving the blade to the predetermined location after the switching step; switching the control system from the automatic mode to the manual mode; scaling up the supply of pressurized fluid available to the first hydraulic cylinder in response to the step of switching the control system from the automatic mode to the manual mode, and moving the blade to a location in response to manual user input to the first input after the step of switching the control system from the automatic mode to the manual mode.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.